Aircraft such as commercial airliners typically include control surfaces or devices mounted on the wings to improve the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. Such control surfaces include wing leading edge devices and wing trailing edge devices and which may be deflected to improve the lift and/or drag characteristics of the wings. For example, conventional airliners may include inboard and outboard leading edge slats that may be actuated by a centrally-located power drive unit (PDU), and inboard and outboard trailing edge flaps that may also be actuated by a separate PDU. In conventional airliners, the inboard and outboard leading edge slats may be actuated as a single system, as may the inboard and outboard trailing edge flaps.
It may be desirable to actuate the inboard devices at different times and/or to different positions relative to the outboard devices, for example to vary the camber of the wings and/or adjust the spanwise load distribution. Conventional actuation systems typically allow for actuating the inboard and outboard devices together, and some may allow for actuating the inboard devices separately from the outboard devices. However, such actuation systems are typically limited in their ability to actuate inboard and outboard devices separately. Typically, such actuation systems require a complex sequence of movements of the inboard and outboard devices to move the devices to new variable camber positions. Furthermore, the complex sequencing that is typically required to reposition the inboard and outboard devices can take extended periods of time during which the aircraft may be exposed to a significant drag increase, which may reduce the overall benefit provided by the variable camber function.
As can be seen, there may be a need in the art for an improved system and method of actuating inboard and/or outboard devices of a wing that may avoid certain complexities as may exist in conventional actuation systems.